Rebound
by Auror Borealis
Summary: After Ron breaks up with her, Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source. Severus/Hermione
1. Chapter 1

1 Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not making any money, no infringement intended. I just love these characters too much to leave them alone.  
  
1.1 Rating: R for language  
  
Summary: Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source after Ron breaks up with her. Takes place 7th year, two months before the Trio graduate from Hogwarts. Warning: This fic is not complimentary to Ron (or Parvati). Severus/Hermione.  
  
2  
  
3 Rebound  
  
by Auror Borealis  
  
  
  
Hermione gazed at the canopy of stars that stretched from horizon to horizon, the dots of light dancing and blurry through the tears which refused to cease filling her eyes. She leaned back against the wall that rose behind the highest row of seats in Hogwarts' Quidditch stadium, hardly able to believe that it was over.  
  
Hermione had great respect for rules, and she never broke them unless she really had no choice. Tonight, however, she hadn't even hesitated before taking a school broom and disappearing into the darkness. She had flown for over an hour, circling the school, the forest, and the lake aimlessly before seeking refuge in the bleachers. She didn't care if she was given detention, and she cared even less if her self-indulgence cost Gryffindor house points. Nothing mattered, because Ron didn't love her.  
  
He had the decency to break the news to her privately, at least. Knowing Ron as she did, she wouldn't have been too surprised had he announced the split in the Great Hall at dinner, to prevent her from making a scene. Even as she thought this, she knew it to be unfair – he wouldn't really do that – but she was feeling far from charitable with her ex- boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. The tears welled up afresh. Would it never stop? she wondered miserably. She'd been crying for what seemed like hours. Her eyes burned, her head ached, and her throat felt raw and swollen.  
  
He had asked her to take a walk with him, after dinner. They walked along the lake for a while, and when Hermione tried to take his hand, he gently pulled it away. Even after they sat down on the grassy shore, crickets chirping in the early April twilight, he remained silent. She knew something was bothering him, but she expected something relating to Quidditch, classes, anything but this.  
  
He had stood and paced a few moments, then dropped to his knees beside her.  
  
"I don't know how to say this," he said.  
  
"Well, just say it, then," she said with more asperity than she'd intended. She was growing tired of this uncomfortable silence.  
  
Ron took a deep breath. "Hermione, I'm really sorry…"  
  
Hermione knew suddenly what he was going to say. In that moment, awareness came from out of nowhere, making sense of his distant behavior not only that evening, but as it had been growing these last weeks. Please, Ron, don't say it, she pleaded silently. Say anything else, but not that.  
  
He took her hand. "You're a really great person, Hermione."  
  
The kiss of death. What would he say next, 'we'll still be friends'?  
  
"I hope we can always be good friends."  
  
Bastard. What lovely euphemisms for 'I don't love you anymore, if I ever did, and there's someone else I'd rather be with'. She knew with the same certainty she'd experienced a moment ago that there was someone else. I'll kill her, whoever it is, she thought.  
  
"You're breaking up with me, aren't you?" The tears had already started. Her fleeting hope that she would leave this relationship with her pride, if not her heart, intact, dissolved.  
  
"Please believe me, Herm, I never meant to hurt you. Oh, god, Hermione, please don't cry!" He tried to pull her into his arms.  
  
Hermione scrambled to her feet, avoiding his touch. "Who is it?" she demanded, looking down at him, the tears scalding her face.  
  
Ron looked out over the lake. "Who is what?"  
  
"Don't lie to me. Don't even think about it. You're terrible at it. Who is she, and how long has it been going on?"  
  
Ron sighed. "Please believe me, Hermione, I really didn't mean for it to happen."  
  
"You bastard, WHO IS SHE?"  
  
Ron flinched. Hermione wasn't much for swearing, so when she did it packed an extra emotional punch.  
  
"Parvati."  
  
Hermione swayed where she stood, and Ron stepped forward, ready to catch her if she fainted. She took a wobbly step backwards.  
  
"Don't touch me!" she screamed at him. "Parvati is my friend, you asshole! How could you do this to me?" Hermione couldn't help herself; she dealt him a resounding slap across his face. He raised his hand to his face, stunned, as she turned and bolted across the grass towards the castle. He started after her, yelling her name, but she turned and withdrew her wand from the sleeve of her robe, and pointed it at him.  
  
"One more step, you bloody bastard, and I'll levitate you to the middle of the lake and let you drop. Don't think for a moment that I won't," she added, as he took a hesitant step forward. She turned again and ran, not looking back. She ran blindly, wanting desperately to find somewhere to lick her wounds. She couldn't go up to Gryffindor, not now. Maybe not ever. That BITCH! she screamed silently. That fucking, no good slut. She didn't know what she was going to do, only that the idea of sharing a dormitory with Parvati was now hell on earth. She ran for the broomshed and took an old Cleansweep, still hearing Ron call her name as she kicked off and fled, airborne, into the night.  
  
Hours later, Hermione reluctantly left her aerie and returned the Cleansweep to the broomshed. Her steps dragged as she walked into the castle, wondering where she would sleep that night. Nothing short of a direct order from Professor McGonagall would make her return to her own bed tonight, not if it meant having to face her former friend, and perhaps her former boyfriend in the common room. She had asked herself over and over again how the other girl could have betrayed her friendship like this, but came up with no answers. She began to toy with the idea of taking the train from Hogsmeade to King's Cross in the morning, but dismissed it right away. She had only two months to go until graduation, and she couldn't throw away seven years of schooling because her boyfriend was a two-timing slimeball.  
  
She walked through the silent corridors, expecting to see either Filch or Mrs. Norris at any moment, but for once, neither was in evidence. Some time after midnight, she turned her steps towards the dungeons, thinking to find sanctuary in a deserted classroom down there. She had to sleep somewhere, and not only did the dungeons fit her mood better than anywhere else in the castle, but they were also the place she was least likely to be sought, should anyone go looking for her. She hated knowing that Harry and Ginny were both worried about her, but she just couldn't go back up there. Not now.  
  
She was startled by the light that flickered to life through the open door of the Potions classroom as she passed it, and a surprised yelp escaped her. She moved away as quickly as she could, but the light wavered and grew brighter. In seconds, Professor Severus Snape stood in the doorway, his wand lighting the gloom. His face seemed especially harsh in the glow that emanated from it as his eyes sought the source of the sound. Hermione knew that there was no chance that he would not see her, so she stopped where she was, awaiting her fate.  
  
"Ah, Miss Granger. Lovely night for a stroll in the dungeons, is it not? I would think that seven years of classes in these precincts would have removed the fascination with what must seem an exotic location to a Gryffindor, but I must confess myself mistaken." He stood aside from the door and, with a mocking bow, gestured to her to precede him inside. Moving numbly, she did so, and watched as he swept past her, seating himself at his desk. She moved to stand in front of it, not speaking.  
  
"Look at me," Snape demanded. She lifted her chin and gazed at him.  
  
The ravages of the evening were still very much in evidence on Hermione's face. Snape felt a pang of sympathy for such distress, but did not allow it to show.  
  
"You will explain yourself, Miss Granger." His voice was hard.  
  
Hermione didn't think she could speak without starting to cry again, but when she tried it, she found that she had cried herself out for the time being. Her mind reached for some plausible explanation for her presence here tonight, but there was none. And she found that she still didn't care about detention, or house points, or anything. Screw Ron, and Gryffindor with him, she thought.  
  
"My boyfriend broke up with me this evening, sir. He dumped me for – for a girl in my dormitory." It turned out the tears hadn't gone after all. "I can't go back up there, sir. Not tonight." She gasped at the force of the sobs that began to wrack her all over again. This final indignity, bawling her eyes out in front of Professor Snape, was something she would not soon forgive Ron for.  
  
Snape regarded her for long moments, his face giving her no clue as to his thoughts. He was mentally cursing himself for having been curious about the noise outside his door, a noise he would not have heard had he tried harder to sleep, and not gone for a late night perusal of his classroom stores instead. Now here he was, confronted with a sobbing Hermione Granger, and there was really only one thing to do with the girl. He sighed inaudibly and got to his feet, his long black dressing gown swirling around his slippered feet as he motioned for her to follow him. Tears tracking down her face, she obeyed.  
  
  
  
End of Part 1 


	2. Chapter 2

1 Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not making any money, no infringement intended. I just love these characters too much to leave them alone.  
  
1.1 Rating: R for language  
  
Summary: Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source after Ron breaks up with her. Takes place 7th year, two months before the Trio graduate from Hogwarts. Chapter 2: In which we cut Ron and Parvati a little slack. Severus/Hermione.  
  
  
  
1.1.1 Rebound  
  
by Auror Borealis  
  
  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
Shortly after dawn the next morning, Hermione stole quietly into her dormitory for a quick shower, and to change and collect her books. Lavender and Parvati were just beginning to wake as she closed the door again. She crept past a lightly snoring Harry, stretched out on the sofa nearest the fire. Had he really waited all night for her? she wondered. Again, she felt a stab of guilt for the worry she was certain he and her other friends must have felt when she didn't come in last night. It was nice to know Harry still cared about her, even if Ron… She pushed him viciously out of her mind.  
  
Hermione went down to the Great Hall and sat at her usual spot at the Gryffindor table. It was almost an hour until breakfast, and she wanted to use the time to catch up on last night's neglected homework. Arithmancy soon absorbed her, smoothing over some of the sting of last night's rejection with surprising ease, at least temporarily. She barely noticed when other students, many of them yawning, started filing into the hall.  
  
She finally looked up when Harry sat down next to her, his green eyes puffy with lack of sleep, and filled with concern. He looked at her for a moment, neither of them saying anything, then pulled her into his arms. Fighting tears and winning this time, Hermione clung to him, dry-eyed, for long moments, before pulling back and forcing a laugh.  
  
"I wonder if I look half as bad as you do?" she said, smiling.  
  
"Ron told me," Harry said softly. "I'm so sorry, Hermione. I knew you guys were having some problems, but I didn't think this would happen."  
  
Hermione filled her plate with eggs, sausages and toast, and began to cut up the sausages and push them around her plate with great industry. "We weren't having any problems that we hadn't always had. Ron knew me before we started dating, he knew bloody well what he was getting into. I know I should have left him alone him about his schoolwork, but honestly, Harry, he nagged me twice as much about mine! 'C'mon, Herm, you can write that essay between classes tomorrow. There's no need to worry about doing a good job on it. Let's go up to the Astronomy Tower and snog.'"  
  
"Ron's been worried that he wasn't a high priority with you."  
  
"Oh, that's bollocks, Harry, and you know it. What was worrying Ron is that I wasn't his only priority. Why I didn't see that before now, I don't know, but it's true. He was more important to me than my work, but that wasn't enough. I had to prove that my grades didn't matter at all, and I wasn't willing to do that. Did that make me a bad girlfriend? If it did, so be it. He certainly didn't waste any time finding someone more to his liking. I just hope that Parvati doesn't mind being no more than Ron Weasley's bloody ornament. As far as I'm concerned, she's welcome to him."  
  
Speak of the devil, Harry thought, because it – or they – had just appeared, hand in hand. Exchanging a glance with Dean, who was seated on Hermione's other side and who also saw the pair approaching, Harry excused himself to Hermione and got up to intercept them. Dean began asking Hermione's opinion of his Transfiguration homework, just as Harry reached Ron and caught his arm.  
  
"Good morning, Parvati. Ron, a word with you, if you don't mind?" Parvati paled as she saw Hermione, but at a nod from Ron, she continued on to her place at the Gryffindor table. Ron followed Harry out through the great doors and onto the front steps of Hogwarts, and sat down on the balustrade.  
  
"For heaven's sake, Ron, the body isn't even cold yet!" Harry began. "The best thing I can say for your entrance with Parvati just now is that it was tacky. You do NOT break up with a girl who, twelve hours ago, thought you were in love with her, and then show up holding hands with her replacement!"  
  
Ron looked abashed. "I didn't think about it that way, Harry." Harry snorted, but Ron continued. "Parvati was worried about facing Hermione, and I was just trying to make sure she knew she wouldn't be alone. That's all. I didn't mean to hurt her, honestly. Not last night, and not this morning."  
  
"Well, you did hurt her last night. If you really wanted to split up, then there was no avoiding that, of course, but did you have to spring Parvati on her so soon?" Harry paced the top few steps, hands behind his back.  
  
"She asked last night if there was someone else. I had to tell her," Ron said, sighing.  
  
"And speaking of that, why was there someone else? What the bloody hell were you doing, sneaking around with Parvati when you were dating Hermione? I really wouldn't have thought it of you, Ron." Harry sat on the balustrade on the other side of the steps from Ron, and buried his face in his hands.  
  
"I know you probably won't believe me, but I didn't sneak around with Parvati. We just… these last few weeks, it just seemed that every time I looked up, there was Parvati, and it was like… like I'd never noticed how beautiful she was, or how sweet. And we started talking, after class and in the library and stuff. Nothing else, just talking, I swear. And I could tell she felt it, too. I really didn't want to hurt Hermione, and I didn't do anything about it. But I realized that I couldn't feel this way about someone else, and still be with Hermione. And I realized that I didn't feel those things for her anymore. I love her dearly, Harry, but only as a friend. I think it was infatuation, not love. And I wish to god I'd been able to tell the difference before now."  
  
"Is it love with Parvati?"  
  
"Yes, Harry, it is. I'm really in love this time."  
  
"So you break up with Hermione, rush to tell Hermione's friend," and here Ron winced guiltily, "the happy news, and now you're a couple? With no more than a few glances and some conversation?"  
  
"It sounds dodgy when you say it like that, Harry, but except for the happy part, that's pretty much it. I met Parvati outside the common room when I came in last night, and asked her if I could talk to her. I told her about Hermione, and what I'd done, and how badly I'd handled it. I also told her that when Hermione asked if there was someone else, I said yes, and Parvati wanted to know who that someone else was. I hadn't been 'seeing' her, Harry, honestly. I'd just been falling in love with her. And she was falling in love with me, too. And I'll tell you something else. She's terribly worried, not just about what Hermione will say to her, but about Hermione herself. She doesn't want to hurt her any more than I do, and she doesn't want to lose her as a friend. Any more than I do."  
  
"If that's true, Ron, then you're going to have to do better than you did this morning. There can't be any public displays, at least for a while, because they will hurt. She was already talking this morning about how quickly you'd replaced her. Everyone else is going to think that, too, and it's going to humiliate her. If you want to keep her as a friend, you're going to have to be restrained with Parvati. And if you want to keep me as a friend, you won't do anything that will force me to choose sides."  
  
Ron looked thunderstruck at this, but nodded his acceptance. He now saw the foolishness of walking hand-in-hand into the Great Hall with Parvati this morning, and resolved to give Hermione time before parading Parvati around as his new girlfriend. Parvati, he knew, would understand and agree.  
  
"I'm starved," Harry said, standing up. "I hope they've left us some sausages, they smelled great." Ron followed him back inside.  
  
Parvati's attempts to talk to Hermione had not gone as well. They came back into the Hall to find Hermione gone, and Parvati trying hard not to cry. No one was talking to her. Harry sat down beside her, taking the space Ron was about to claim. Ron sat down on his other side, drawing hostile looks.  
  
"Parvati, can I borrow your notes from Divination? I fell asleep yesterday," said Harry, grinning sheepishly. "That incense Trelawney uses always does that to me."  
  
Parvati understood what Harry was doing, and was grateful. "Sure, Harry, they're in my bag in the dorm, I'll get them for you after breakfast."  
  
The Gryffindors surrounding them also understood what Harry was doing, and began to thaw towards the new couple. If he could talk to Parvati and Ron, then so could they. Hermione was Harry's best friend, after all. They knew he'd look out for her no matter what, and if this was part of it, they could go along with it. Everyone was uncomfortable with the breach, and wanted to see it healed.  
  
Ron glanced toward the head table, then wished he hadn't. Professor Snape's glare was more menacing than Ron had ever seen it. Did he know? Would he even care, if he did? Ron told himself that his guilty conscience was seeing condemnation everywhere, and finished his breakfast.  
  
  
  
2 End of Part 2  
  
A/N: More of Snape soon, promise. 


	3. Chapter 3

1 Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not making any money, no infringement intended. I just love these characters too much to leave them alone.  
  
1.1 Rating: R for language  
  
Summary: Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source after Ron breaks up with her. Takes place 7th year, two months before the Trio graduate from Hogwarts. Severus/Hermione.  
  
2  
  
3 Rebound  
  
by Auror Borealis  
  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
  
  
Hermione paid no attention as Professor Binns droned on in History of Magic. She hadn't, now, for several years. She had known all the material Binns covered, and more, by the end of her third year. She usually used the time to study for another class, but today she toyed with her quill and stared off into space, her mind full. No one noticed; almost everyone in the room was doing the same thing. Eyes were glazed with boredom, heads drooped as students struggled to stay awake. It was an excellent opportunity to simply think.  
  
It amazed Hermione how quickly she was recovering from the shock of Ron's defection. Was it only last night? Somehow, it seemed longer. The pain was far less than it had been even this morning. Her pride was sorely wounded, but her heart felt as though Madam Pomfrey had waved her wand over it. She found her thoughts drifting away from Ron and turning towards her encounter the night before with Professor Snape.  
  
Harry hadn't asked where she spent the night, and she hadn't volunteered the information. She had, in fact, slept on the sofa in Professor McGonagall's private sitting room, after Snape had awakened her head of house. McGonagall asked her no questions. She simply thanked Professor Snape, waved her wand, conjuring blankets and pillows, and told Hermione that should she wish to talk, she would be happy to listen. Overcome by the kindness she felt that her disregard of school rules had not merited, she quietly cried herself to sleep.  
  
But Snape didn't deliver her to McGonagall immediately. He had risen from his desk and walked to his office, and she followed. He waved her into a chair and pointed his wand at the fireplace, and the bleak room filled with the softening glow of firelight, the chill lessening immediately. Snape's lips moved soundlessly, and a pot of tea and a plate of biscuits appeared on his desk. He selected a small flask from a cabinet, poured a cup for her, added a few drops from the flask, and handed it to her.  
  
"Thank you, Professor," she whispered, wondering what could be in it, and if she should drink it. Courtesy left her no choice.  
  
"Drink. Then you may talk, if you wish." Rather than seating himself behind this desk, larger and more formidable than the one in the Potions classroom, he took the chair beside her, and watched as she sipped the strong, steaming brew. Right away, she felt more composed, less wretched than before. Hermione was distracted from her misery by wonder. Snape was being nice to her. Ron had dumped her, and now Snape was being nice to her. She wondered how many more shocks the night had in store for her.  
  
Snape stared into the flames while Hermione drank her tea. She found the silence soothing rather than unnerving; quite the opposite of what she would have expected. She felt emboldened to look around his office. She had been here before, during her second year at Hogwarts. On that occasion, she had not been invited. A twinge of guilt assailed her, but was quickly banished; Hermione suspected that that might be the result of whatever Snape had added to her tea. She had slipped in here to pilfer boomslang skin so that she, Harry, and Ron could make Polyjuice potion. Funny, it didn't hurt to think of him just then. Ron. She tested the name again. Ron. Nope, nothing.  
  
"It's a numbing potion, quite a mild one," he said, as if reading her mind. This startled her a bit; it seemed like the sort of thing Dumbledore would do. In fact, sitting in this spartan office felt quite a bit like being in the Headmaster's domain, minus the phoenix and a great deal of light. "It's used to relieve undue stress, at least temporarily. Not wise to take it on a regular basis, but it can be very helpful sometimes."  
  
"Thank you very much," she said, meaning it.  
  
"Is there anything you might wish to tell me?" he asked.  
  
She shook her head. She was feeling much better, but the thought of confiding in Snape, especially on such a personal matter, was not a concept her brain could process.  
  
"I thought not. I, however, have something to say to you." She looked up, suddenly tense.  
  
"Listen well," he continued, "for I shall only say this once. And if you are tempted to repeat it, I shall deny every word." Hermione nodded, her eyes widening.  
  
"You are a lovely, intelligent, altogether remarkable young woman, Miss Granger." She almost dropped the empty teacup. Snape removed it gently from her hands and set it on the desk. "If Weasley does not appreciate you, the loss is truly his own."  
  
He stood and extended his hand to her, a courtly gesture with practical motivation. She was too stunned to move without assistance. "I think it is time you went to bed. No, no, I don't mean to send you to your dormitory. Tomorrow you will have to face it, but not, I think, tonight. Professor McGonagall fawns shamelessly upon you – didn't you know that? I'm sure she would be delighted to be awakened in the middle of the night and called upon to give you shelter from your adolescent crises." The sarcasm had reasserted itself in his voice. Did he regret that astonishing compliment? she wondered. She still couldn't believe he had even uttered it. Lovely, intelligent, remarkable. Quite a change from annoying, a show- off, and a know-it-all. He didn't need to worry that she would repeat his words. There was no chance that anyone would believe her.  
  
  
  
In the midst of one of Professor Binns' most boring lectures yet, Hermione thought of another Hogwarts professor, and gave a little sigh.  
  
  
  
End of Part 3 


	4. Chapter 4

1 Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not making any money, no infringement intended. I just love these characters too much to leave them alone.  
  
1.1 Rating: R for language. Mostly it's been PG so far, but that will probably change very soon, so it gets the R.  
  
Summary: Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source after Ron breaks up with her. Takes place 7th year, two months before the Trio graduate from Hogwarts. Severus/Hermione.  
  
2  
  
3 Rebound  
  
by Auror Borealis  
  
3.1  
  
3.2  
  
3.3  
  
3.4 Chapter 4  
  
  
  
For the next week, Hermione kept to herself. She spent most of her time outside of class in the library, almost never looking up from her reading. It was the postural equivalent of a 'do not disturb' sign. Her fellow students had long since learned that there was nothing to be gained from disturbing the Brain of Gryffindor while she was immersed in a book, and possibly something to be lost; a limb, perhaps, especially if it was close to finals. Rumours flying around Hogwarts about Ron's change of girlfriends also helped. A Hermione in mourning for her lost love was bound to be even more dangerous than one who simply had studying to do. She had been approached once or twice by bolder students hungry for the freshest gossip, but her chilly manner and monosyllabic answers to their questions convinced them that Parvati Patil would make better prey, and sought her out instead.  
  
She came early to meals, bolted down her food, and left again as quickly as possible. "Got work to do" was the only response anyone got when they asked her why she couldn't stay to chat for a moment. She stayed in the library until it closed, only then going up to Gryffindor Tower, hurrying through ablutions in the bathroom, then retiring to her bed, curtains closed around her. Lavender greeted her awkwardly during these brief encounters. Loyalty to Parvati made her unsure of how she should behave with Hermione. Parvati herself was by turns penitent for her role in Hermione's perceived anguish, and resentful towards what seemed to be Hermione's martyred attitude.  
  
"She should just grow up, and accept it already," Parvati told Lavender in Divination one day. "She's making it impossible for me to just enjoy being with Ron."  
  
  
  
Harry did his best to respect Hermione's wish for solitude, but it was beginning to worry him. It worried Ron as well. After kissing Parvati goodnight at the foot of the steps leading to the girls' dormitory, Ron turned an anxious face to Harry, who was performing largely superfluous servicing on his beloved Firebolt.  
  
"You don't think she'll do anything drastic, do you, Harry?" he asked.  
  
"Who?" Harry was fine-tuning the alignment of several important twigs. The last time he'd flown, it seemed that the broom might possibly have leaned just the tiniest bit to the left. He measured the distance between two twigs again, adjusted them, measured again, and decided that they were better where they'd started. In truth, he just loved to putter with the broomstick, whether it needed it or not.  
  
"Hermione. She's been a complete hermit ever since the split." Ron's face was anxious.  
  
"Define drastic." Harry held the broom up, inspecting it from another angle.  
  
"Well, you don't think there's any chance she'd, you know, hurt herself? Because if she did, I'd never forgive myself."  
  
Harry had wondered the same thing, but as angry as Hermione had been with Ron, he didn't think she would go that far. He thought immersing herself in her books was exactly what Hermione was bound to do in a situation like this. He hoped she'd start feeling more social soon, but if she still needed space, he wasn't going to pester her about it. He knew it wouldn't be a good thing if Ron decided to do so. Concern coming from Ron right now was bound to be as welcome as finding out that Snape was now Head of Gryffindor.  
  
"Come on, Ron, lighten up. I know you think you're a major player now, but I hardly think Hermione's going to chuck herself off the Astronomy Tower for your sake." Harry's wry tone brought a smile to Ron's face.  
  
"You're right. She just needs a little time. I really hope she starts talking to Parvati again, soon, though. It's really getting to her." His face turned from worried to what could best be described as goofy, as his mind dwelled on his new girlfriend.  
  
"You've got it bad, Ron." Harry was smiling. "But honestly, if Hermione's nothing else, she's strong. And if you think that after you, she has nothing worthwhile to live for, you must have forgotten that she has an Arithmancy exam tomorrow. She wouldn't drink her hemlock until she got her results back from that, so you can relax."  
  
Ron grinned, his mood lightened not only by Harry's reassurances about Hermione, but by his acceptance of Parvati's place in Ron's life. Now, if only he could have his other best friend back…  
  
  
  
Hermione was not mourning, although she didn't do anything to dispel that impression. Far better that others believed her to be pining over Ron Weasley – which was quite a ridiculous notion, now that she thought about it – than to guess that she had also moved on, considering the direction her affections were now guiding her.  
  
For a couple of days, Hermione had wondered if there was anything else in the numbing potion Professor Snape had given her the night of the break up. A love potion, perhaps? But she dismissed the idea quickly. There was no such thing as a time-release love potion that became stronger, not weaker, with the passage of time. And she had progressed rapidly from flattered by what Snape had said to her, to having developed a full-blown crush on the Potions Master. She did in fact spend a great deal of her time studying, but the remainder of her solitary reflections dwelled on Snape. His dark, mysterious eyes; his brooding manner that could, if one thought about it, do justice to a romantic hero out of 19th century Muggle literature. Would he compare best to Heathcliff, she wondered, or was he Mr. Rochester to her Jane Eyre? Perhaps he was the hero from Rebecca, although she couldn't quite recall his name at the moment. And was that a 19th or 20th century novel anyway? She'd have to look it up. Either way, she could picture him frightening the wits out of his new bride in an old mausoleum of a Gothic mansion. She shivered deliciously. It had possibilities. Maybe just a dash of the arrogant, sarcastic Mr. Darcy thrown in for good measure. Or perhaps Mr. Knightley to her Emma; Emma was considered too bossy by half, and still managed to make a decent romantic heroine. It was a pleasant thought.  
  
"Miss Granger." Hermione was suddenly, uncomfortably aware that she was the focus of attention from her silent, staring classmates. She wondered just how long Professor Lupin had been trying to get her attention, and she blushed vivid red.  
  
"I'm sorry, Professor, could you repeat the question?" Harry and Ron were staring at her too, as was Parvati, who had an odd expression on her face.  
  
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to deduct five points from Gryffindor for having to call on you four times, Miss Granger. I would be obliged if you could tell us the roots of the legend that says that garlic repels vampires, and why it would be dangerous to trust one's life to it?"  
  
Recalled to herself, she answered the question automatically. Get it together, Granger, she told herself. Crush or no crush (she couldn't bring herself to call it love; not after so badly mistaking the depth of her affection for Ron), she couldn't afford more silly lapses like that. Those silly lapses could wait until she was alone, and could enjoy them in peace.  
  
  
  
"I'm telling you, Ron, I know that look," Parvati insisted. She was seated in front of Ron, leaning back against his chest while he nuzzled her neck in the Quidditch stadium, only a few benches away from where Hermione had sat crying a week before.  
  
"Parvati, love, don't worry about it. I've told you, she'll get over it. She's got tons going for her; she'll soon wonder what she ever saw in me." He chuckled, and turned her face up to him for a kiss. "Just as long as you don't start doing the same."  
  
"That's just it, Ron," she said when they came up for air. "I think she probably is wondering what she ever saw in you."  
  
Ron sat up straight. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"I know that look, because I've seen it in the mirror too many times recently not to know it. I think Hermione's in love." She smiled and snuggled back against Ron, missing the look of dismay on his face.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: I know, no Snape makes for a disappointing chapter, but don't get your knickers in a twist, I'm getting to it ;)  
  
Seriously, thanks very much for all the kind feedback you've been giving me, and please keep it coming. 


	5. Chapter 5

1 Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not making any money, no infringement intended. I just love these characters too much to leave them alone.  
  
1.1 Rating: R for language  
  
Summary: Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source after Ron breaks up with her. Takes place 7th year, two months before the Trio graduate from Hogwarts. Severus/Hermione.  
  
2  
  
3 Rebound  
  
by Auror Borealis  
  
  
  
Chapter 5  
  
  
  
Remus Lupin leaned against the first row of desks in the Potions classroom, arms crossed, as Snape continued to grade fourth year exams. He'd been ignoring Lupin for over twenty minutes, but the werewolf didn't show any signs of getting bored and going away. Finally, Snape put down his quill and looked up.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Yes, I'm having a lovely day, thanks. You?"  
  
"Fuck off."  
  
"You almost made that sound elegant. Almost," he said, pleased to see the reluctant upward tug at the corner of Snape's mouth.  
  
"Are you here for the pleasure of irritating me, or do you actually have something to say to me?"  
  
"I don't see why I can't combine the two." This time, Snape did smile.  
  
"You've already accomplished your goal, then, for you have spoken to me, and I am irritated with you. Have a pleasant afternoon."  
  
"If you weren't irritated to begin with, you will be in just a moment. I want to talk to you about Hermione Granger."  
  
"Talk, then." The Potions Master's head bent again to his work.  
  
"You've heard the rumours?" Lupin watched him closely.  
  
"I can't avoid them. The walls do talk here, you know."  
  
"Ah yes, Violet's famously big mouth. She's been spending altogether too much time outside Gryffindor Tower. Sir Cadogan challenges Ron Weasley to a duel every time he walks by his painting."  
  
"Sir Cadogan challenges everyone, when he's not passed out drunk."  
  
"True enough. But the honor of a maiden fair, and all that. The rumour mill has it that he's going to start on you next."  
  
Snape's head snapped up. "What the devil for?"  
  
"Trifling with the affections of said maiden fair, apparently."  
  
"He's mad."  
  
"Tell me something I don't know. But the fact remains, Severus, that all of Hogwarts is talking about you and Hermione."  
  
"There is no 'me and Hermione.'"  
  
"I know. I talked to her today." Snape slowly laid down his quill.  
  
"And you discussed what?"  
  
"I'm betraying a confidence here, Severus, but I think it's for the greater good. She thinks she's in love with you, and she was crying her eyes out today in my office because, and I quote, 'he doesn't know I'm alive.'"  
  
"Bloody, bloody hell." Snape dropped his forehead into his hands. "No good deed goes unpunished, does it?"  
  
"That night in your office? She told me about it." Snape scowled at him. "And yes, I suspect it's the basis of her crush on you. She had just been rejected, and there you were, ready to be her knight in shining armor, so to speak."  
  
"I trust that you have come here for some purpose other than baiting me with this? What do you suggest I do?"  
  
"There's not much you can do. But just remember, Severus, teenage egos are fragile. Everything is the end of the world at that age. And although I have reason to know that she's a very resilient young woman, I'd like to ask as a personal favor that you treat this matter with care. If the subject happens to come up, let her down gently. They call them 'crushes' for a reason."  
  
"Lupin, as much as I've enjoyed this cozy little chat, I must beg you to fuck off once more. I have papers to grade."  
  
Lupin studied Severus for a long moment, and then nodded as if satisfied with what he saw.  
  
"Thanks, Severus. I knew I could count on you to be kind to her."  
  
"Don't mention it. Now get the hell out of my classroom."  
  
After Remus departed, Snape stopped pretending to grade papers, and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. He felt a headache coming on. The door to the classroom opened again. Snape did not look up.  
  
"You can have nothing else to say to me that I wish to hear. Now get out."  
  
"S-s-sorry, Professor." Hermione Granger gave a convulsive sob and ran back down the dungeon corridor.  
  
Snape picked up his inkwell and hurled it across the room. 


	6. Chapter 6

1 Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not making any money, no infringement intended. I just love these characters too much to leave them alone.  
  
1.1 Rating: R for language  
  
Summary: Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source after Ron breaks up with her. Takes place 7th year, two months before the Trio graduate from Hogwarts. Severus/Hermione.  
  
  
  
2 Rebound  
  
by Auror Borealis  
  
  
  
Chapter 6  
  
  
  
When Hermione returned to Gryffindor an hour later, it was to find a message from Professor Snape. Ron scowled as she opened it, a sullen Parvati looking on. Harry sighed, watching his friends. All this drama was beginning to wear thin. The ongoing tension between Ron and Hermione was threatening to ruin the last weeks of their time at Hogwarts. They would be going in such different directions soon. Harry knew that if they didn't work things out soon, it was unlikely that they ever would.  
  
  
  
Miss Granger,  
  
  
  
Please come to my office this evening at your earliest convenience.  
  
  
  
Professor S. Snape  
  
  
  
  
  
Hermione sighed and stuffed the message into her bag.  
  
"What did he want?" asked Ron.  
  
"I have to go to his office. I'll see you later," she said to the common room in general.  
  
"What? You're just going to go?" Ron demanded.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes impatiently. "For heaven's sake, Ron, of course I'm going to go. A teacher just instructed me to report to his office. Am I supposed to say no, my ex-boyfriend doesn't approve? And why do you care, anyway?"  
  
"What is there between you and Snape?"  
  
Hermione was stunned. "What possible business is that of yours? You dumped me, remember? You gave up your right to have any say about what I do; not that you ever had as much as you think you did." She was shouting now, and Ron shouted back.  
  
"I'm your friend, damn it! It's my business if that greasy git tries to take advantage of you."  
  
"Could you repeat that, please, Ron?" asked Harry calmly. "I don't believe they heard you in Ravenclaw."  
  
"Ron, I don't have time for your jealousy right now." Hermione swept back through the doorway.  
  
"I'm not jealous!" he shouted after her.  
  
"Aren't you?" asked Parvati before stalking up the stairs.  
  
  
  
Hermione stood in the Potions classroom, surveying the door to Snape's office. The thrill of knowing that she would see him mixed with fear over what he might have to say, and hurt over the harsh words that had sent her running so short a time ago. Plucking up her courage, she knocked.  
  
"Come in."  
  
She pushed the door open. Snape was seated behind his desk, gazing at her with piercing black eyes. "Please have a seat, Miss Granger. Would you care for some tea?" Hermione did not know how rarely Snape offered refreshments to his visitors, or gave them any reason at all to think that they might be welcome in his office. He had done so for her twice in less than a month.  
  
She took a chair, the same one as that night several weeks earlier. So much had changed in that time. She shook her head to decline the offer of tea, as she was far too nervous to drink any.  
  
Hermione hoped that he would come to sit next to her as he had before, but he stayed where he was. In the silence that followed, Hermione noticed several scrolls on Snape's desk, some of them tied with pink ribbon. There was also a small bouquet of flowers.  
  
"Do you know what these are, Miss Granger?" he asked, following her gaze. She shook her head again.  
  
"In all the years I have taught at Hogwarts, I have never once been the object of a crush from one of my students." She winced at the word 'crush'. "In the last week, I have received no fewer than eight owls bearing messages signed by an assortment of young ladies, all of them styling themselves my 'secret admirer.' I had no idea you were such a leader of fashion, Miss Granger." He picked up the bouquet, looked at it as though it were about to squirt him with bubotuber pus, and dropped it onto the scrolls.  
  
"Is that why you were so… angry with me before?" she asked timidly.  
  
Snape sighed. "No. I was not angry with you at all. When you opened the door, I thought that you were someone else. I would like to apologize for the way that I spoke to you."  
  
"Oh." She couldn't think of anything else to say. She felt dizzy with relief for a moment; he didn't hate her after all.  
  
"Indeed." Snape seemed not to know what to say next, as well. They gazed at each other for a moment, Hermione's eyes shining with hope.  
  
"Miss Granger, I told you the last time you sat in this office that if you ever repeated what I said to you, I would deny it. Is that not so?"  
  
Hope drained out of Hermione as though a plug had been pulled. "Yes, sir." I'm going to kill Lupin, she thought.  
  
"I'm afraid I shall have to retract my words of that evening."  
  
"Yes, sir." Hermione's voice was flat. He hadn't meant it after all. He just said it to get me to stop crying, she thought miserably.  
  
"I found that when it was in fact repeated to me, I did not wish to deny it. I stand by my opinion. You are lovely, intelligent, and remarkable."  
  
Hermione's emotions had bounced up and down so much in the past few minutes that she felt dazed. He remembered the exact words he used? He could not know how many times she had hugged those words to herself, savoring each one.  
  
Snape rose and went to stand by the fireplace, where a blaze burned merrily. He had no notion what to say, but it had to be addressed. She could not be allowed to think that there could be anything between them. He glanced down at her face, her emotions laid bare on its surface. It was a heady thing, he realized, to know that someone so young, so full of life, so desirable, could love him. Even if it was just a crush. A flicker of something he didn't recognize passed through him, leaving him shaken.  
  
"Hermione," he said gently, "I am your teacher. As I said, you are intelligent; abundantly so. You must know that your age, your status as a student here at Hogwarts, everything about our respective situations makes it wholly impossible that there should ever be anything more between us."  
  
"I know that, Professor. And just because I love you, I know that doesn't mean that you love me." He wanted to do something to heal the hurt in her voice, but it was beyond his power. He found himself wondering for a moment what it could be like if the obstacles he'd pointed out to her did not exist. "I know I'm being a nuisance to you, and I'm sorry. You'll only have to tolerate me for a few more weeks, anyway," she said, a little sadly. This thought jolted him. She would be graduating soon. He had known that, of course, but this was the first time that he had thought of it with regret. Allowing his impulse to overrule his judgment for a moment, a rare occurrence, he walked over to her and knelt, taking her hand in his.  
  
"You're not a nuisance, Miss Granger. You've made my day, perhaps my year, if you must know. It's not every day that 'that vile Professor Snape,'" he said with a mocking look, "has a beautiful young woman confess that she loves him. If I were free to return your feelings…" He paused, appalled. What had he been about to say? Disengaging his hand, he stood and stepped back. "It's time you returned to your common room. This must be the last time we speak on this subject, do you understand me?" All at once, his tone was harsh, unyielding, forbidding, the same tone he used when Neville Longbottom melted his cauldron yet again in class.  
  
Hermione registered the change, but it failed to have its usual effect. She had latched onto one phrase, as he had feared the moment he uttered it. 'If I were free to return your feelings…'  
  
"I understand, Professor Snape. I'll remember." She stood, turning as if to go; and then before he could move away, she had closed the distance between them, and pressed her soft lips to his cheek. Blushing, she left him standing there, completely stunned.  
  
His hand went to the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him, still feeling the tingling warmth. Let her down gently, Lupin had said. He'd gone one better, he thought, completely disgusted with himself. He'd inadvertently, through his own clumsiness and susceptibility to the first pretty girl who had given him a second glance in years, given her reason to hope.  
  
  
  
Snape feared that his words might have unfortunate repercussions, and that in the grip of her youthful crush, Hermione might convince herself to commit some indiscretion that could only bring her ridicule from her classmates, and cause him discomfort with his fellow professors. However, as the days went by, he was impressed to see that she conducted herself with complete propriety, never once inventing an excuse to talk to him after class, or to come by to see him after hours. Two Slytherins and a Ravenclaw did so, but not Hermione. He almost began to wish that she would. Aside from occasional smiles in class and in the Great Hall during meals, it would be easy to forget that she had sat in his office telling him that she loved him.  
  
It seemed the crush was fading. He tried to tell himself that he was glad. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not making any money, no infringement intended. I just love these characters too much to leave them alone.  
  
Rating: R for language  
  
Summary: Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source after Ron breaks up with her. Takes place 7th year, two months before the Trio graduate from Hogwarts. Severus/Hermione.  
  
  
  
Rebound  
  
by Auror Borealis  
  
  
  
1 Chapter 7  
  
  
  
Snape entered the Three Broomsticks with Hagrid and Lupin, looking in vain for an empty table. It was the last Hogsmeade weekend of the school year, finals were over, and it was a beautiful, warm June day. The tavern was packed to the rafters with 3rd years and older, most of whom had completed their tours of Honeydukes, Zonko's Joke Shop, and the other places that thrived on the custom of the students. Packages and bags were piled on most of the tables, leaving little room for the butterbeer that the teenagers couldn't seem to get enough of. Harry spotted the teachers first, and waved them over to their table.  
  
Hermione was elated when the Potions professor, arriving first at the table, chose the seat next to her. She'd been trying so hard not to behave like a lovestruck puppy around him. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done. Looking at him now, sitting crowded close to him in the company of her favorite people in the world, she felt a wave of love for him. The Leaving Feast was in less than a week. Hermione's resolve was threatening to crumble, here and now. Less than a week, and he would be gone from her life. She longed to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless, to beg him to love her in return. Instead, she smiled at him, greeting him warmly, but politely.  
  
Weasley, to Snape's amazement, was quite cordial to him, as well as to Lupin and Hagrid. Parvati had blistered his ears the night Hermione had returned to the dungeons in answer to Snape's summons, making it clear that if she had to witness any more displays of jealousy over Hermione, Ron would have not one but two ex-girlfriends. The next evening, alone in the common room after everyone else had gone to bed, Hermione had told him that if she had to endure any more such scenes, she would be not only his ex- girlfriend, but his ex-friend. The discussion that followed went a long way toward clearing the air between them, much to everyone's relief.  
  
  
  
"If I have to be willing to move on, so do you. You can't have it both ways."  
  
"I'm just trying to protect you, Hermione." He sounded a bit lame, even to himself. After his talk with Parvati, he realized that he had been guilty of being possessive towards two girls at once. He adored Parvati, but it was harder than he thought it would be to let go of Hermione, and he said so.  
  
"That is something you're going to have to work out on your own, Ron. I still love you, as a friend. Only as a friend. I think the reason I reacted like I did when we broke up was because you dumped me, and not the other way around. Rejection hurts," she said, and was touched when he laid a sympathetic hand over hers. The gesture was free of anything else, and she was glad to see it.  
  
"I know, and I think that's why I'm taking this whole Snape thing so hard. Even if we're not together anymore, it's not easy to see you want someone else. I know that's not rational, and it's not fair to you. But I am working on it."  
  
She smiled. "I know you are. But I don't think you have to worry about the 'whole Snape thing,' anyway. It's one-sided, and that's never going to change." The pain in her voice was obvious, and in unconscious imitation of his longtime nemesis, Ron knelt in front of her.  
  
"If he doesn't see how special you are, he doesn't deserve you. I never did deserve you, and I know it now. I'm really sorry for being such a pain in the ass about the things that were important to you. I felt threatened, and I knew I couldn't measure up in the end. I put you through a lot because of it, and I wish I hadn't been such a jerk."  
  
"Thanks, Ron. I wasn't easy to be with either, I know. Don't take offense at this…" she trailed off, waiting for a signal from Ron to continue. He nodded. "I think Parvati is good for you. The reason I think that is because the Ron Weasley I dated wouldn't have admitted what you just did."  
  
"You're right. She is good for me. I may not deserve her, either, but I'm going to try. And Hermione," he added, giving her a hug, "if Snape is really what will make you happy, I hope you get him."  
  
  
  
Thinking back to that night, Hermione was glad to have Ron seated next to her, knowing now that she could count on emotional support from him. He turned his attention to Parvati and Lavender, 2 startling Hermione by pointedly excluding her from the discussion she had been involved in moments before. Harry's attention was focused on Lupin and Hagrid, who were enthusiastically discussing Harry's plans for the summer and afterward, which were happily completely Dursley-free. Harry was being courted by the Chudley Cannons, and had decided that a few years of professional Quidditch would not be a bad thing before making the decision about a more permanent career. Ron was doing a summer internship with Gringotts, working with his brother Bill in Egypt for the summer as a curse- breaker. Parvati's interest in magical archaeology had led her parents to agree to let her join a program sponsored by a prestigious wizarding university that would be digging in Egypt during the summer as well, provided she took along a girlfriend. Lavender had happily agreed to play chaperone. Hermione had been caught up in their plans with them when the teachers arrived, not eager to talk about her own.  
  
Ron's ploy to make sure Hermione and Snape had only each other to talk to made Hermione grateful; it was a generous gesture, confirming her belief that Parvati was bringing out the best in Ron in a way that she never could have.  
  
Snape, beside her, took a sip of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey, set down by a very busy Rosmerta. "What institution of learning will you be honoring with your presence next fall, Miss Granger?"  
  
Hermione was taken aback for a moment by Snape's sneering tone, but then she caught the slight upward tilt of one corner of his mouth. It looked as if, with a little encouragement, it could become a smile. She found herself nervous about his reaction to her plans. Ron had been openly dismayed, and even Harry had been surprised, and not entirely pleased. Hoping it wouldn't make that hint of a smile on Snape's face disappear into a genuine sneer, she told him.  
  
Hermione had, as a concession to her parents, agreed to attend London University for one year, to make certain that the Muggle world offered no options that she might prefer over the magical one. She had been reluctant, not wishing to get behind in her wizarding education. But she decided that it was the least she could do for them. They had been very supportive all through her time at Hogwarts, even as they were watching her slowly disappear into a world they could never be a part of.  
  
To her astonishment, he nodded thoughtfully and said, "I can understand why they would want you to have more exposure to the Muggle world. You've lived mostly in the wizarding one since you were a child, after all. I've thought occasionally that the Muggle scientific community lost a brilliant mind the day you received your Hogwarts letter."  
  
She smiled brilliantly at him. "I'm beginning to look at it as taking a year off before I start university for real. I'm planning on taking mostly literature and history courses, a bit of math and chemistry, and watching a lot of movies and eating a lot of pizza."  
  
"What is pizza?"  
  
Hermione laughed as she explained. Even after seven years at Hogwarts, the gaps in the average wizard's knowledge of all things Muggle still amazed her. And the wizard seated next to her, she reflected, was far from average. He then quizzed her on the subject of movies, looking amused at her appalled expression when he told her he'd never seen one.  
  
As they left to return to Hogwarts, Hermione strolled along beside Snape, their heads bent close together as they talked. One by one or in couples, their companions remembered last minute errands in Hogsmeade. Before they reached the train station and the path beyond it that led to the castle, they were alone. When Hermione shyly took Snape's hand, he gave her a startled look, but did not pull away.  
  
  
  
That evening, Snape had another visit from Lupin. They retired to Snape's private quarters, making desultory conversation until they were both settled before the huge fireplace, snifters of brandy and a decanter on the table between them. For once, Snape was not in the mood to exchange barbs with his old not-quite-friend. They sat enjoying the brandy in companionable silence for a long time, until Lupin spoke.  
  
"I think she was hoping you'd ask her to go for pizza and a movie over the summer."  
  
"Do you think so?" Snape's tone was bored.  
  
"She was certainly glad to see you in The Three Broomsticks."  
  
"How gratifying."  
  
"So why didn't you?"  
  
"Why didn't I what, Lupin?"  
  
"Why didn't you ask her on a date?"  
  
Snape pinned the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher with a look that usually drove the blood from the faces of the first years.  
  
"Am I to ask a student for a date? I cannot believe that even you would favor such a thing."  
  
"After the Leaving Feast, she won't be a student anymore. Not here, at least."  
  
"Let it alone." This was almost a growl.  
  
"Thanks for telling me I hit a nerve. I wasn't sure before now."  
  
Snape sighed, knowing very well that Lupin would not let go of the subject. Damn the man for his impudence anyway, he thought.  
  
"It's a crush."  
  
"I'm not so sure of that anymore, Severus."  
  
Silence descended again, lasting for several minutes. Snape did not want to betray himself by asking what the werewolf meant, and Lupin wasn't going to volunteer the information. He was enjoying this too much.  
  
Snape finally decided that the relief of talking about it would outweigh the indignity of doing so.  
  
"Weasley broke off his relationship with her, and I was foolish enough to be nice to her shortly thereafter. As you said, a knight in shining armor. Next time I shall know better than to go to the rescue of a damsel in distress."  
  
"She and Ron are friends again."  
  
"And what has that to do with anything?"  
  
"Only that if she turned to you only because she felt abandoned by him, I would think that her interest would be waning now. They've never gotten along better."  
  
"He's no longer her boyfriend."  
  
"But she's not feeling alone anymore, either. She's spending as much time with her friends as ever."  
  
"I'm old enough to be her father."  
  
"Only just. And I believe that her father has a good fifteen years on you. I'm sure you could take him in a fight, if that's what's worrying you."  
  
His jest was rewarded with a hint of a smile, but it faded quickly. When Snape spoke again, his voice sounded defeated.  
  
"You know what I am, Lupin, and what I've been. I can never be good enough for her."  
  
"Severus, my friend," Lupin replied thoughtfully, "if Hermione were to wait for the man who was good enough, she'd be alone all of her life. What she needs is someone who loves her. She needs someone who can love her for who she is, and not try to make her into the girl he wants her to be, like Ron was trying to do, poor blighter. She needs a man who's strong, at least as intelligent as she is, and above all, one who can truly appreciate what the gods have bestowed upon him. I know one man who fits that description, and he's sitting next to me feeling sorry for himself because a wonderful young woman has fallen in love with him. On second thought, maybe you're not as smart as I thought you were."  
  
"I am not feeling sorry for myself, so kindly go to hell."  
  
"That's the spirit. There's only one question. Do you love her?"  
  
Snape poured another brandy and held it in his hands to warm it as he considered the question. "Would we be having this conversation if you didn't already know that I do?"  
  
"Not a chance. Cheers," Lupin said, draining his glass. 


	8. Chapter 8

1 Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not making any money, no infringement intended. I just love these characters too much to leave them alone.  
  
1.1 Rating: R for language  
  
Summary: Hermione finds comfort from an unexpected source after Ron breaks up with her. Takes place 7th year, two months before the Trio graduate from Hogwarts. Severus/Hermione.  
  
  
  
1.1.1 Rebound  
  
by Auror Borealis  
  
  
  
Chapter 8  
  
  
  
Hermione couldn't keep the happiness from bubbling over inside her, expressing itself in smiles and sighs. She hummed snatches of Muggle love songs, causing others to stare as she walked down the corridors. He loves me back, she thought, over and over. He let me hold his hand. I think… I think he almost kissed me. At the door, when he squeezed my hand. He leaned towards me… if Filch hadn't opened the door just then, damn him…  
  
Exam results were posted, and Hermione got almost perfect scores on every one. She was graduating at the very top of her class. She'd long expected to, but it still felt nice to know for certain. And what's even better, he loves me…  
  
She saw little of Snape over the last week of school. He was immured in his dungeon, grading tests and clearing his stores of potions ingredients that wouldn't keep over the summer. She caught glimpses of him at meals, but he was always gone before everyone else. Once or twice she felt his gaze on her, and would look up to see him regarding her thoughtfully. He has to be discreet, she thought to herself. I'm still a student here, even if I've already taken my last class at Hogwarts.  
  
But by the last full day, she was beginning to doubt what she'd been so sure of, so short a time ago. "Busy" was beginning to look like "avoiding me" in Hermione's mind. He could make time to talk to me, just for a moment, if he wanted to, she thought. Did I read too much into him being nice to me? But why would he let me hold his hand like that? Or am I an idiot for thinking that that meant anything?  
  
Hermione spent most of the week with Harry. Ron and Parvati spent most of it snogging in corners, or sneaking off somewhere more private when snogging wasn't enough. Trunks were filled, the rooms of the 7th years were stripped of every last shred of evidence that they'd ever been there at all. Dean Thomas' famous West Ham poster finally came down, carefully rolled up and packed away. Seamus said that Dean had to blink back a tear or two when he took it down, but Dean told him not to be a prat, and cuffed him affectionately on the head. The celebrations began well before the actual feast that would take place in the evening, if one could call an occasion that involved so much sadness a celebration. Butterbeer and stronger elixirs flowed freely among the older students, and many were feeling very good indeed when it came time to descend to the Great Hall to say goodbye to Hogwarts.  
  
In what seemed no time at all, the sun was setting and the house tables were filled with chattering, emotional students. The teacher's table was just as lively, everyone full of their plans for the long holiday, and the sound of noses being blown into handkerchiefs could be heard. "Won't be the same around here without Potter," "I'm really going to miss young Granger," and "I never thought I'd say this, but Draco Malfoy did provide a bit of life around here" floated down to the students closest to the front of the hall. Hagrid was weeping openly into his pumpkin juice, and mopped his face with a handkerchief the size of a throw rug. Professor Snape arrived late and took the seat next to Remus Lupin.  
  
"You're taking this 'discretion' thing to an extreme, you know," Lupin teased the other man. "Or are you playing hard to get?"  
  
"Your interest in my love life is flattering, but you're growing tiresome on the subject. You said yourself, she will no longer be a student here after the Leaving Feast. That event is still in progress."  
  
"True. You're absolutely right. I can see for myself that it is."  
  
Snape turned an alarmed look on Lupin, wondering where the sudden babbling fit had come from. Lupin winked at him, rose, and walked along the table to where Professor Dumbledore was seated. Snape's alarm grew as Lupin leaned over to whisper in the Headmaster's ear. Dumbledore looked at Snape, nodded inexplicably, and then, to Snape's horror, also winked. Lupin returned to his seat and patted the Potions professor on the shoulder.  
  
"What was that about, or do I not want to know?"  
  
"Just doing you a favor, old chap."  
  
Dumbledore rose, and a hush fell across the noisy hall.  
  
"I declare this Leaving Feast to be at an end. Now please, sit back down, do, and go on with your supper. Dessert and entertainment will be provided shortly. No, where are you going, Mr. Longbottom? I said the Leaving Feast was at an end. I didn't say anyone had to leave. Do sit back down."  
  
"Mad, he is," someone murmured. "Always said so."  
  
"Yep," came another voice. "Brilliant, but barmy. I'm really going to miss him."  
  
Lupin grinned broadly, folded his arms and sat back in his chair, looking triumphantly at Snape.  
  
The dark-haired professor threw down his napkin, seemingly disgusted. "Oh, very well, Lupin, if nothing else will do for you."  
  
Snape rose from his place and made his way around the teacher's table, down to where the students sat. People nudged one another, pointing, as he walked casually in the direction of the Gryffindor table. When he came to a stop beside Hermione, there was dead silence in the Hall.  
  
Hermione looked up at him, her mouth open in surprise. He cleared his throat. The words, now that the time had come, stuck in his throat. He hadn't intended for this to be so – well, so bloody public. On Hermione's other side, Ron Weasley gave him a thumbs-up.  
  
"Miss Granger," he finally got out. "Um… Hermione, it's a lovely evening." He waved unnecessarily at the ceiling, where a blanket of stars twinkled. "Would you care to go for a walk?"  
  
Blushing to the roots of her hair, Hermione nodded, feeling breathless. Oh, thank gods, she thought. I wasn't wrong.  
  
She took his offered hand, and he led her out of the silent Hall. They had just reached the front doors of Hogwarts when thunderous applause erupted, and raucous cheers split the air. He scowled, and she smiled up at him. The applause was still going strong when he cupped her face in his hands and lowered his head to kiss her.  
  
Several minutes later, when they surfaced, both of them breathless and dazed, he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her along the path that circled the lake.  
  
"Now about that movie, and this pizza you mentioned…"  
  
  
  
The End 


End file.
